Stars from Shane Richie to Christopher Biggins reach out to EastEnders Barbara Windsor after Alzheimers diagnosis

EastEnders and Carry On icon Barbara Windsor has been diagnosed with Alzheimers, her husband has revealed.

Scott Mitchell says that Barbara, 80, was told she had the condition in April 2014 and has been taking medication to manage it, but her symptoms of confusion and memory loss have recently become worse.

“I want the public to know because they are naturally very drawn to Barb­ara and she loves talking to them,” Scott explains.

“So rather than me living in fear she might get confused or upset, theyll know that if her behaviour seems strange, its due to Alzhei­mers and accept it for what it is.”

He adds: “Since her 80th birthday last August, a definite continual confusion has set in, so its becoming a lot more difficult for us to hide.

“Im doing this because I want us to be able to go out and, if something isnt quite right, it will be OK because people will now know that she has Alzheimers and will accept it for what it is.”

Following his heartbreaking confessions stars and friends of Barbara have reached out to the actress.

TV presenters Lorraine Kelly, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and Eamonn Holmes were some of the first to reach out posting:

Sadly Scott says that he first started to notice something might be wrong in 2009 when Barbara left EastEnders for the first time and was struggling to learn her lines.

This had worsened by 2012 when she started to repeat certain sentences and stories, leading to her underging medical tests.

Eventually she was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, leaving the couple heartbroken.

“When the doctor told us, she began crying then held it back, stretched her hand out to me and mouthed, Im so sorry . . .,” Scott reveals.

“I squeezed her hand back and said, Dont worry, well be OK.”

At the time she continued to function well and was taking daily medication, allowing her to be able to continue working.

But by 2016 things were getting worse and Scott suggested that Barbara should return to EastEnders for one last time and see her character Peggy Mitchell be killed off, given that Barbara wouldnt be able to come back again.

“I asked that she have an autocue on set, just as a safety net,” says Scott, who has been married to the star for 18 years. “But in the end, she just used it to refresh her memory between takes. If you saw the Peggy death scenes, you could see she wasnt reading it.

“Ironically, I think its some of the best work she ever did. I was incredibly proud of her.”

Now Barbara has retired from charity and acting work and Scott wants to focus on managing her illness as best as possible.

“Unfortunately, I notice she feels a kind of shame about it,” he admits. “Theres a vulnerability there and I keep telling her, Bar, no one will think youre silly for having this.

“I explain that if someone has cancer, no one looks at them and thinks How ridiculous. We sympathise and its the same with this.”

Christopher Biggins, 69, is one of Barbaras closest friends and has spoken out about his dear pal.

He told the Mirror: “Barbara Windsor is truly an actress of the people. She always has time for everyone.

“You go out with her and people want to chat, get an autograph and have a selfie. Because she is adored. Everyone wants a piece of her, and she is very happy to give it.

“The only problem is that in the future, and sometimes already I think, she wont understand why. She may forget her whole glorious career, why she is so famous, and all the people whose lives she touched.

“But it if thats the case then its down to us, her dear friends to help her amazing husband, Scott, to remind her.”

Barbaras last appearance on screen was a cameo in Babs last year, a biopic drama about her life in showbiz.

The post Stars from Shane Richie to Christopher Biggins reach out to EastEnders Barbara Windsor after Alzheimers diagnosis appeared first on Woman Magazine.